The Weight of Gold
by Avirra
Summary: An unknown entity has removed a sizable portion of the Enterprise crew including most of the officers, leaving McCoy as the ranking officer onboard. Rating is due to the occasional profanity.
1. Chapter 1

Captain's log - Stardate 2262.011

We have entered the orbit of the fifth planet of an as yet unnamed system. Six planets total circling an F class star, so the current designation for the system is F6 Echo Charlie One. There have been some unexplained readings, but none of the planets in this system can support life, so there will not be any landing parties to investigate.

* * *

As Kirk finished his entry, he noticed that McCoy had come onto the Bridge while he'd been busy. Since he was headed toward the Science station, it was probable that Spock had called him up to get the doctor's opinion on some of the readings.

Kirk had turned to speak to them, but before he got a single word out, a jolt rocked the ship hard enough that McCoy would have fallen if Spock hadn't automatically reached out to steady him. All thought of casual conversation over, Kirk called over to Spock.

"Spock - what the hell was that?"

Having already relinquished his hold on McCoy, Spock turned back to his station and studied the readings.

"Unknown, Captain. There is no indication of any ship in the area, but according to my readings, we are being actively scanned, but I am currently unable to trace the scans back to a point of origin."

Kirk frowned briefly, then shifted his focus to Uhura.

"Lieutenant, send out a general broadcast, all frequencies. Let's see if we can make contact with whoever is -"

McCoy had been looking down at his tricorder after surreptitiously scanning the Bridge personnel to make sure no-one had been injured, but he looked up when Kirk's voice stopped and found the Captain's chair empty. His head immediately snapped over to the Science station next to him, but Spock was also missing. So were Uhura and Sulu - in fact, the only people still on the Bridge with him were Chekov and the Captain's yeoman, who had dropped the PADD that he'd brought to the Bridge containing the Captain's daily reports.

The expressions on their faces kept McCoy's own emotions off of his face. He quickly consulted with the computer and read the results of his inquiry with a sinking heart. His medical team was still intact, but not a single member of Security remained onboard. Also, the only non-medical officers remaining were all Ensigns.

McCoy was facing the one thing he never imagined would happened. He was the highest ranking officer remaining onboard the Enterprise and therefore, technically in command.


	2. Chapter 2

"Doctor? What do we do now?"

Chekov's voice drew McCoy away from the computer screen. In the brief time he had before turning around, he shifted into what Chapel called his surgeon face - look confident and in control on the outside regardless of what he was feeling on the inside.

He could feel it in the air. The crew was confused, scared and, for the moment, without a rudder. McCoy decided to stick with what he knew - treat the symptoms first and then work on eradicating the cause. He was going to have to be their rudder and the first order of business was to give everyone things to do so that they didn't dwell on what had happened too much.

"Mister Chekov, call in replacements for Lieutenants Uhura and Sulu as well as for yourself. I need you to take the lead in Engineering again. Yeoman Strekle, I need reports from all sections as soon as you can get them to me."

"Yes, Sir."

"Aye, Captain."

Yeoman Strekle had called him Captain without a second thought and McCoy nodded in response. That was going to take some getting used to. Two crew members down - the rest still to go. Moving to sit in the Captain's chair, McCoy activated the ship wide intercom and prayed he'd set the right tone.

"This is Acting Captain McCoy. I need to see the senior Ensigns from all departments other than Medical in the Ready Room in one hour. All other personnel, return to your duties and remember this is the Enterprise. You wouldn't be here if you weren't damn good at your jobs. Chapel and Minyawi, report to the Bridge."

Chekov's manner had eased considerably and he rose from his chair as Ensign Malachi came over to take the Navigation position - a chair he had never sat in before. The same could be said of Ensign Fisher. She had only manned a helm position in the mockups at the Academy.

McCoy waited until Ensign Ruebe was at the Communications station before speaking. Chapel and Minyawi came onto the Bridge as he was speaking and McCoy noticed Chapel was carrying a package of some sort with her, but didn't pay attention beyond noting it.

"I know this isn't the way any of us imagined our day going, but each and every one of us is a graduate of Starfleet Academy. Take a deep breath and start familiarizing yourself with your station. If you have any questions or concerns, Mister Chekov will be on the Bridge while I take care of some business. Mister Chekov, you have the conn. I'll be in the Briefing Room."

As McCoy gestured, both women headed into the room and he followed. The door had barely shut when Chapel spoke.

"Acting Captain? Leonard, what's happened?"

Taking a steadying breath, McCoy shook his head.

"No idea yet, Chris. One minute, Spock's talking about us being scanned, next thing I know, I'm one of only three people left on the Bridge. The whole ship is like that - Medical was untouched, but every other section of the ship is left with ensigns and enlisted. Security is completely gone - every man and woman regardless of rank."

Chapel looked stunned and sat down heavily in the nearest chair. Minyawi's voice was quiet but steady as she spoke.

"What is it you need us to do, Captain?"

A small smile formed on McCoy's face.

"In your case, Layali, I need to channel your father and take charge of Security. I'm going to be meeting with the other departments shortly and I want you to be there for that. Any non-essential personnel that you need to fill the ranks? Pull them and train them. They've had the basics from the Academy, but teach them how to do things the way you want them done."

The young nurse swallowed hard, but knew why she had been picked for this and squared her shoulders in a manner that would have done her father proud.

"Yes, sir. I won't let you down."

"I know you won't. And Chris? Don't get too used to it or rearrange my furniture, but you're my CMO. I know a couple of the doctors might outrank you, but none of them have the organizational skills the position needs. They give you any grief, send them to me."

Chapel smiled in spite of the circumstances.

"That threat alone should get them to tow the line, Leonard. I mean, Captain."

He waved that away.

"If Jim calls me Bones, you can certainly call me Leonard. Let's get this ship organized and get our people back. Chris, head on back to Sickbay. Layali, you may as well head to the Ready Room."

Before leaving, Chapel remembered the package she'd brought with her and gave it to McCoy.

"Time to dress the part. Remember, this is really no different than your usual job. You've always been one of the ones in charge of the lives of this ship."

As Chapel and Minyawi departed, McCoy took a moment to do an intercom call to Sickbay to inform them of Chapel's position of Acting CMO. That done, he finally took a good look at what Chapel had handed to him. It was a uniform shirt in his size - Command Gold.

Sighing, he laid the shirt down on the table and pulled off his familiar blue. Picking the gold shirt back up, he slipped it on. It might have been made from the exact same material, but it sure felt a lot heavier.


	3. Chapter 3

When McCoy walked into the Ready Room, he saw as well as felt the stares that were aimed toward the golden top he was wearing. Chapel was right - as long as he was Acting Captain, he needed to dress the part. He moved in his usual pace to the head of the table, remaining standing as he looked over the gathered ensigns. The men and women were all looking a bit nervous which was perfectly understandable, but basically they all seemed steadier than he had dared to hope.

"Thank you all for reporting so promptly. Now, what I need first is for all of you to be honest with me. I know each of you can do the job of heading up your departments until we find a way to get our shipmates back, but if you aren't comfortable with taking charge, I will ask for someone else to step up. If that is your preference, it isn't anything against you. Not all of us signed up for the Command track. You all know for a fact that I didn't."

The laughter was welcome and broke the ice somewhat. In his mind, McCoy envisioned them as he would a group of new nurses and interns. They needed firm guidance and clear expectations, but not handholding or coddling.

"We have an unknown opponent, but we will work together and overcome this. We've all been under the command of Captain James Kirk - the man who doesn't believe in the no-win situation. I guess I've been around him long enough that I've come to believe that same thing. Now, Layali Minyawi will be taking over as the head of Security. Check among your people for anyone willing to pull duty under her."

Stopping for a moment, McCoy looked down and gave a brief tug to his sleeve before looking back at the group and continuing.

"I've heard my share of pep talks. One I recall was being told that they'd never ask me to do anything they wouldn't do themselves. I can't say that. I'm going to be asking all of you to do a helluva lot of things I'm not going to do myself. Not because I won't, but because I can't. We may have all had the same basic training, but I can no more repair a replicator than you could perform surgery. What I can promise you is that I will do everything in my power to keep this ship safe and to get our people back. And to do that, I need you - all of you - to be willing to give your all as well. Are you in this with me?"

The answer came after the group exchanged glances. One of them called out 'Atten-hut!' at which time they all quickly got to their feet and saluted McCoy. He went to attention as well and returned their salute. Once he dropped his salute, they followed suit.

"At ease. Now, you know better than I do what needs to be done. We will be maintaining yellow alert status and keeping our shields up until further notice. Ensign Barrett - we need detailed scans of this planet we're orbiting and the immediate space around it. Our people were taken somewhere and we need to find that spot. Ensign Masoff - I've assigned Ensign Chekov to the Chief Engineer's slot as he's manned it before and he's one of the few folks that understands how Scotty's mind works. But I need you to be his second and keep the day to day functions running smoothly. If you need to contact Sickbay, Chapel is taking the CMO position. Any questions?"

There were a few minor concerns, quickly addressed. When he dismissed them, no-one stayed behind to request to be removed from command - another huge relief to McCoy. He remained in the Ready Room after the others had left long enough to have a strong cup of tea then headed back to the Bridge to relieve Chekov.

As Chekov was getting out of the Captain's chair, a thought came to McCoy and he stopped the young man from immediately leaving the Bridge by laying a hand on his shoulder.

"Mister Chekov, were shields up when we were scanned earlier?"

"Not at full strength, but yes."

"I've told Ensign Masoff that he's in charge of the regular Engineering routine. I'd like you to look into what readings we caught during the scanning and see if you can figure a way to block it. Let's make things as difficult as we can for the opposition."

Smiling at that, Chekov gave McCoy a firm nod.

"I will get right to it, sir."

For a fleeting moment, McCoy remembered an earlier time, standing on the Bridge and hearing how young Chekov was. Dear Lord - was that really less than five years ago? Seemed more like a lifetime. Pulling himself back out of the memory, he gave Chekov's shoulder a light squeeze before releasing it.

"If anyone outside of Scotty can figure it out, it's you. Keep me updated."

McCoy didn't miss the flash of determination in Chekov's eyes.

"Aye, Captain."

He fought the impulse once again to look behind him for Kirk, then sat back in the Captain's chair as Chekov headed to Engineering. Part of him felt more like an ornament than anything, but - like the golden shirt - sitting there was an important psychological factor for the crew. As Yeoman Strekle approached and offered him the PADD containing the requested reports, he sat back and accepted it. Well, that was at least one thing the positions of Captain and CMO had in common. Paperwork.


	4. Chapter 4

McCoy lost track of time as he read and, in some cases, deciphered the various status reports. When he finished, he no longer wondered why Kirk needed migraine medications so often.

A gentle throat clearing next to him got his attention and the doctor was somewhat dismayed to see that the next shift of the Bridge rotation had taken their positions while he'd been concentrating. Yeoman Tomlin gave him an understanding smile.

"Captain Kirk does the same thing when he's reviewing reports, sir. I've been requested to ask who will be taking the conn while you rest, Captain."

Stifling his first impulse to say that he didn't need to be relieved, McCoy reminded himself sternly that it was bad enough that the crew had a surgeon in the Captain's chair. An exhausted surgeon would be twice as bad. Narrowing his eyes in thought, McCoy picked one of the ensigns from the Command track at random - he might as well rotate out the position and give as many of them a taste of the hot seat as possible. After he had Tomlin make sure that she wasn't considered vital staffing in her department, McCoy activated the intercom.

"Ensign Andra Willingham - report to the Bridge."

As there was another shift to cover before his return to duty, McCoy selected Lamar Rohrer to take that position. Once Ensign Willingham accepted her assignment, it was also mentioned that it would be best if he took his food and rest in the Captain's quarters where he could be easily reached in case of emergency.

Again, McCoy had to halt his first reaction. Certainly, the CMO quarters could be reached as easily as the Captain's, but in an emergency, the crew would automatically call the Captain's quarters. No sense in making them fight an ingrained reaction and waste valuable time. Besides, he reminded himself that Chapel would likely be making use of the closeness of the CMO quarters to Sickbay to grab some rest herself.

As he exited the Bridge, McCoy schooled himself to show no hesitation. He didn't want any of them to assume he had the slightest doubt about leaving them in charge while he was gone. It wouldn't be to anyone's benefit for his crew to start second guessing themselves.

The suspicion he'd had about who'd sent Yeoman Tomlin turned into a certainty when he found Chapel waiting outside of the Captain's quarters with a tray in her hands. He couldn't really say anything - he'd done the exact same thing to Kirk after a hard shift. From the smirk on Chapel's face, she was counting on that.

"Go on - get us inside. We'll get a decent meal inside you and then you will get some sleep. Not a nap. Sleep."

As the computer accepted his access as Acting Captain, the door slid open and he motioned for Chapel to enter first.

"No arguments from me, Chris. Bring anything with you for a headache?"

"Of course I did, Leonard - same one you usually take after the monthly reports are finished."

She moved to put the tray down on the table then waited for him to sit. After the injection, the sigh of relief told her how bad the headache had been.

"Bless you, Chris. I needed that."

"You're welcome. Now, eat. As my boss used to say, the Captain needs to set a good example for his crew by getting proper nutrition and rest. Oh, and the tea is one of the herbal mixes you like, so no caffeine."

This time, McCoy showed his gratitude by eating everything put before him even though he didn't really feel hungry, but he already knew that was the worry over Kirk, Spock and all the rest doing that to him.

Chapel made a pleased noise when he finished, then directed him to the head area.

"I already have a fresh uniform for your next shift ready. Go get cleaned up and sleep. You know never know when you might get a call out."

"Guess that's another thing Captain and CMO have in common. Thanks again, Chris. Get some rest yourself."

She gave him a saucy wink as she headed for the door.

"I need all the rest I can get. I've got a stubborn Captain to keep in line."

* * *

Waking back up was a disorienting experience until McCoy remembered where he'd gone to sleep and why. A muttered curse followed as the hopes he'd been having a peculiar dream faded to the dismal reality. Getting up, he took care of the necessities and redressed in the Command gold uniform. He was still in the process when a request to enter came from the door. Judging he was decent enough, he told the computer to allow access.

Yeoman Strekle stepped in, going straight over to the table with the tray he was carrying.

"Breakfast compliments of CMO Chapel, Captain. Would you care for the daily reports now or when you arrive on the Bridge?"

"Anything high priority occur since I went off shift?"

"No, sir."

"I'll wait until I get to the Bridge then."

"Aye aye, sir."

McCoy finished dressing as Strekle departed, then went over to see what Chapel had sent for breakfast. They had worked and eaten together long enough to know one another's preferences and he fully approved of the selection, taking the time to not only to savor the meal, but to get the things he needed to check on sorted in his mind.

After finishing eating, he also make note of them on his own PADD. For some reason, he had recalled the difference it had made when Spock shifted from the routine scanning of a planet to a full-spectrum one back when they found the mystery radiation that caused rapid aging. One of his first orders of business would be to get the Science department started on that. Not his field of expertise, but if he remembered correctly, getting the results from the full scale scanning was a more involved process.

Getting to his feet, McCoy stretched his back out before straightening out his uniform and headed for the Bridge. He wasn't holding his breath by any means, but he had hopes that the new shift would bring some good news.


	5. Chapter 5

Good news did come to Acting Captain McCoy before he even reached his chair in the form of an excited, widely smiling Chekov with PADD in hand.

"I have been studied the readings and I believe this emitter will block any scans or at least distort them to where any thing they receive will be useless to them."

"Excellent work. Is everything running smoothly under Masoff?"

"Yes, Captain."

"Good - then let him continue to take care of that and this is your priority. The sooner it's up and operational, the better."

"Aye, sir."

Yeoman Streckle was close by, so McCoy reached out to take the daily reports before sitting. Glancing around the Bridge, he decided to check in with the crew.

"Ruebe - anything?"

"No, sir. Continuing to monitor all frequencies, but nothing yet."

Giving a short nod to acknowledge that, McCoy turned next to the Science station.

"Barrett?"

"Nothing solid to report, Captain."

"What do you mean by solid?"

Barrett bit his lower lip for a minute before speaking.

"We've done enough scans of the surface that we should be able to construct a topographical map of the planet, but the scans aren't lining up. It's almost as if we change to a different planet every orbit."

"So - we might be receiving false readings from the surface?"

Drawing himself up to near attention, Barrett nodded.

"That's the only conclusion that makes any sense, Captain."

To the surprise of everyone on the Bridge. that seemed to make McCoy happy. When he noticed their reactions, he explained himself.

"From our initial readings, that planet shouldn't be able to support life, correct?"

Barrett nodded, then remembered to answer.

"Yes, sir. That's correct."

"So if all our readings have been false, that means there are likely places on the planet where our crew is being held. Now our job is to figure out a way to find them."

The smiles forming were a pleasant change from the anxious expressions most had been wearing. McCoy settled into the chair and began to read the reports, starting with the one from Sickbay. Chapel was already checking to make sure everyone was eating and resting, regardless of their job. There had been some minor injuries when the ship had jolted, but nothing requiring more than out patient care.

Halfway through the reports, he received word from Chekov that the emitter was ready to go online, but warned there would be a momentary power dip when it was powered up. McCoy had Ruebe put a general warning over the ship's announcement system, then told Chekov to do it. The main lighting noticeably dimmed for a couple of minutes before returned to their usual level.

It seemed that the emitter powering up drew the attention of their opponent. A few minutes after the emitter was turned on, Barrett called out that it appeared someone was trying to scan them again, but the emitter appeared to be jamming the attempt. The attempt lasted long enough for the Enterprise's sensors to follow back to the planet - yet another indication that there was more to the surface than they could see.

Closing his eyes, McCoy mentally hung on to that news. It was hard, so very hard, to keep outwardly positive for the crew when he knew that the longer Kirk and the others were gone, the less the chance of getting them back whole and alive was. It also made him appreciate Spock's role in shouldering some of the burden that he now knew about all too well.

Berating himself for his mental pity party, McCoy returned to the reports, making suggestions back to some of the departments, giving an encouraging word to some others and praise where he deemed appropriate. He was reaching the end when a cry from Ruebe startled him.

"Captain! We have an incoming transmission from the surface, but it isn't one of our standard frequencies."

"Put it up on the screen, Mister Ruebe. Let's see who we're dealing with."

The being appearing on the screen was like no other species McCoy had seen before. The skin coloration was a similar blue to the Orions, but the facial features themselves were almso a mix of Klingon and Tellerite - with some other unknown race mixed in as well. The appearance didn't affect McCoy one way or another, but the arrogant tone of voice coming over the speakers pushed all of the wrong buttons.

"We are C'ves. We have taken control of your ship."

The words worried McCoy, but he glanced to the Helm. Ensign Fisher shook her head.

"We still have control of the helm, sir."

A side-glance showed Ruebe was in communication with one of the departments and he quickly responded after closing that connection.

"Ensign Chekov reports Engineering is still under our control as well, Captain."

McCoy didn't verbally acknowledge the reports, but when he addressed the viewscreen, his drawl was overstated.

"I am Acting Captain Leonard McCoy. You appear to be mistaken."

The eyes of the being grew darker.

"There is no mistake. You will surrender now."

The answer from McCoy was brief, but firm.

"No."

Now C'ves stiffened as his coloration flushed a deeper blue.

"We have removed all warriors from among you. You have no choice but to surrender and accept our command of your ship."

The eyes of every man and woman on the Bridge were watching McCoy as he stood.

"I don't know who the hell you think you're dealing with, but this is the USS Enterprise. To remove all the warriors among us, you'd have to remove every man and woman from this vessel. We will **not** surrender our ship to you and we will **never** accept your command."

Oddly, C'ves seemed to deflate slightly, his expression looking puzzled rather than angry at McCoy's defiant words. A minute later. the transmission shut off without any response back.

If anyone had asked McCoy at that moment what exactly he'd said to C'ves, he wouldn't have been able to quote back his exact words, but the looks he was getting from his Bridge crew told him that he'd gotten it right in their eyes.

"Alright, people - let's get back to work. We've seen the face of our enemy - now let's figure out how to get our people back from him."

Ensign Fisher looked back toward McCoy.

"He kept saying we. How many of them do you think there are, sir?"

Sitting back down, McCoy frowned, then shook his head.

"No way to tell yet. Hell, I'm not even sure if C'ves was his personal name or the name for his race. We'll add that to the list of things we need answers for."

The sound of an obvious throat clearing drew McCoy's attention back to the Communications station where Ruebe seemed a bit agitated.

"Is there a problem, Mister Ruebe?"

"Begging the Captain's pardon, but . . . well . . ."

"Spit it out, man."

"Yessir - when I disconnected from Engineering, I accidentally hit the ship-wide intercom. Everyone onboard heard what you and C'ves said, sir."

After a brief moment to consider that, McCoy shrugged it off.

"Too late to worry about that now. Besides, they have every right to know what we're up against. You'll know to watch your hands better next time."

"Aye, sir - I will, sir."

Signing off on the last report, McCoy handed the PADD back to Yeoman Streckle and sighed internally. How the hell Kirk did manage to stay in the chair when his adrenaline was pumping the way McCoy's still was after that confrontation? Not that he didn't already know that Kirk was damn good at his job, but McCoy had to admit that the kid had a whole lot more self-control than he'd given him credit for. He'd tell him that too - just as soon as they found him and brought him home.


	6. Chapter 6

Captain's log - Stardate 2262.03. Acting Captain Leonard McCoy reporting.

We have a name and a face to go with our opponent now, though whether the name C'ves is the individual or his race is one unknown factor among many. I can't say enough how well the crew is pulling together through this emergency. I know you already know this, Jim, but you've got damn fine bunch on this ship.

The emitter that Chekov rigged is still blocking scans and the Science team is hard at work trying to figure a way for us to get a true reading of the planet. They have the training and the determination - what they don't have is the experience. Unfortunately, that's something that nothing but work and time will give them.

* * *

One shift slid into another again without McCoy noticing until he looked up to find Chapel at the side of his chair. She was smiling. Not always a good sign.

"Nice view from here, Captain."

After that comment, her voice lowered in volume and pitch so that it was doubtful anyone else could hear her.

"You've worked through another meal. Now, you have a choice. You can come along willingly and have a full, healthy meal or I will bring said meal up to the Bridge and spoon feed you. No rolling your eyes. This is exactly why you put me in the CMO slot. I have no qualms about making sure you get what you need whether you like it or not."

Since the fact that Chapel had never had any problem with telling him off when needed was indeed why he'd put her in the CMO slot, McCoy gave in without much fuss and activated the ship's intercom.

"Ensign Farida Badri report to the Bridge."

Turning it back off, he turned back to Chapel.

"Soon as my replacement arrives, we'll head out."

Nodding, Chapel waited, watching with amusement as in sank in for Badri that she was taking a shift in the Captain's chair. Chapel mused that the ensigns McCoy was calling on would either get a taste for command or, possibly more likely, never entertain the thought of command ever again.

Once they were alone, Chapel turned to McCoy.

"Alright, Leonard - it's just the two of us now. How are you holding up?"

The doctor's chuckle had an edge to it - about what Chapel had expected, honestly.

"I'm scared to death, Chris. This is so far out of my comfort zone that I can't even see the zone from where I'm at. The crew is working so hard, doing things they shouldn't have been expected to do for years. I don't want to let them down."

With a skill born of practice, Chapel steered him into a seat, handed him a cup of his favorite tea then went behind him and began massaging his shoulders. He didn't dare drink while his shoulders and neck were being manipulated, but the scent of the tea was calming. It also reminded him of Spock. Damned if he didn't miss him as much as he did Kirk.

"Whatever has your brow furrowing, drop that line of thought. Your knots already have knots of their own."

"Sorry, Chris. The smell of the tea made me think of Spock -"

"Which made you think of the Captain, Scotty, Nyota and everyone else who's missing, right?"

"Guilty as charged. I know you have to be missing Nyota yourself."

"I would dearly love to have one of our chats. You never really know how much you'll miss something until it isn't there, do you?"

As Chapel stopped the massage, McCoy gave his shoulders a roll and sighed in gratitude.

"Thanks, Chris. And my grandmother had a saying about that - you don't know what you've got til it's gone."

Laughing, Chapel moved to the replicator to order meals for both of them.

"Was there anything your grandmother didn't have a saying for?"

McCoy grinned, then took a short sip of tea before answering.

"If there was, I doubt she would have admitted it. She probably would have made something up on the spur of the moment. I always suspected that's what she did with her saying about all cats being black in the dark."

Pursing her lips in thought, Chapel finally shook her head as she sat a plate in front of him.

"No, I've heard that one myself, so she didn't invent that one at least."

Impulsively, she reached out and laid her hand atop of McCoy's.

"We will get them back. It might be like that old O. Henry story you introduced me to, The Ransom of Red Chief."

That got the chuckle she had been hoping for.

"You mean Jim might make C'ves crazy enough that he'd beg us to take him back? God, I hope so."

After that, the two ate and their conversation casually moved back to when they were CMO and head nurse. McCoy felt far more settled by the time they finished.

"Thanks - I needed that more than I knew I did."

"Simply doing for you what I've seen you do for the Captain. Maybe the rest of the crew only sees it when you fuss at him, but I've seen the dozens of little ways you find to take care of him. And Mister Spock too, for that matter."

The intercom cut off anything else she might have said. It was Badri's voice, not sounding panicked, but instead sounding excited.

"Captain McCoy - please report to the Bridge."

"McCoy here - on my way."

Giving a small exasperated sigh, Chapel started clearing away the plates.

"So much for the nap I planned to talk you into taking."

"Later, Chris. I promise."

"I'll hold you to that."

Watching as the door shut behind him, Chapel's smile fell from her face. She knew he wasn't sleeping as much as he needed or even having as much off-time as he should, but the situation onboard, she couldn't blame him. She could only do her best to keep him going and then prepare to help him when the eventual crash hit.

In the past, she had poked fun at the way McCoy fussed after the upper ranks onboard like a mother hen. She probably still would make jokes about it, but she understood much better now why he did it.


	7. Chapter 7

Stepping onto the Bridge, McCoy saw that both Ruebe and Barrett had returned to the Bridge as well and were obviously excited. Feeling real hope, McCoy headed straight to them.

"Have you found something?"

Barrett hurried over to the Science station and pulled an image up on the large screen.

"Here, sir. Gabriel and I were looking over the sets of images and he spotted this."

Focusing in on the image, Ensign Barrett zoomed in on one small area.

"The area isn't bigger than a kilometer across, but this one area stays the same from scan to scan."

Looking from the images to where Ruebe was standing, McCoy nodded in approval.

"A fresh set of eyes can work wonders. Good job, both of you. Are we able to get clear readings on what's in that area?"

That question dampened Barrett's excitement considerably.

"No, Captain. There's too much distortion to be sure of anything."

Moving closer to the screen, McCoy began to debate his next move, but first he gave Barrett a smile.

"You and Ruebe found a lead - that's more than we had before. Now, both of you - off the Bridge and get some rest. Piece of advice? Go for a run or a swim - or anything else physical to burn off some of that adrenaline before you try to sleep."

"Yes, sir."

The current Acting Science Officer, Ensign Phan, remained nearby, but gave McCoy space as he continued to look at the image. Both the doctor's thoughts and stomach were churning.

Scanning the area was no good. He needed to send a landing party to physically look over the area but, without those scans, he would be sending them in blind into unknown conditions. Possibly hazardous conditions. This was the time he knew would eventually come that he had dreaded - when what he wanted to do as a doctor collided directly with what he needed to do as Acting Captain.

Straightening, McCoy gestured toward the image as he spoke to Phan.

"Send that to the Ready Room for me. Ensign Badri - if anyone's looking for me, that's where I'll be."

* * *

Replicator tea was nowhere near as good as the teas he and Spock usually shared, but all McCoy wanted was strong and hot. He sat down with a bland sandwich and the hot tea, not really tasting either as he stared at the image.

The gold shirt felt particularly heavy right then as he wished he had someone with more experience to consult with. Then again, if any of them were there to consult, they would be the ones wearing the gold and not him.

Taking a bite of his sandwich, McCoy shoved away wishing for things that he couldn't have. Ironically, one of those was the landing party. It figured that one of the few times he actually wanted to be part of a landing party was the one time he couldn't. If something arose with C'ves? He wasn't going to put any of the ensigns in the position of having to deal with that.

It didn't take him long to decide that Layali was the one he wanted to lead the landing party. She had a cool head in emergencies and wouldn't rush in like a bull in a china shop. She also had the field medic training to take care of the others if need be. Slowly, he reviewed what other skills he wanted and needed in the landing party. Polishing off the sandwich before getting a fresh cup of tea, McCoy activated the intercom.

"Security Chief Layali Minyawi, report to the Ready Room immediately."

He had a cup of her preferred coffee waiting on her when she arrived. She settled into a chair and sipped as he outlined what little they knew about that one static area. She nodded slowly as he then spoke of the skill sets he wanted on the landing party, making a few suggestions herself. One thing they found themselves in agreement on was that it would be preferable to ask for volunteers and that the volunteers could not be any of the ones holding down positions over departments - with the exception of Layali herself.

After a long sip of tea, McCoy activated the intercom system again.

"Attention all crew members - this is Acting Captain McCoy. We have located an area on the planet below that requires exploration by a landing party. The expedition will be into an unknown territory and will be led by Acting Security Chief Minyawi. I am looking for volunteers to join this mission. Those chosen will be spending the rest of today in preparation for beaming down tomorrow. Anyone interested should inform their department head within the hour - they, in turn, will give me the list of names in an hours time. That is all."

* * *

When the lists were sent to McCoy's PADD, he felt a swell of pride at the number of crew who were willing to take the chance. Calling Layali over, they went over the list while keeping in mind the necessary skill sets as well as their temperaments. As soon as they agreed on the five, McCoy summoned them to the Ready Room. As they entered, McCoy greeted each by name.

"Ensign Erin Kiffin, Ensign Andrew Teige, Ensign Remy Borde, Ensign Rashmi de Sliva, and Ensign Talin Soroka - thank you all for volunteering. The five of you were picked because you have the right talents and the right temperaments for the successful completion of this mission. I'm turning the rest of this briefing over to Security Chief Minyawi. She will also see to it that all of you are fully outfitted. Any questions?"

There weren't any - or at least not any they would ask while McCoy was in the room, so he exited and left Layali to get her team prepared. As he had promised Chapel, he headed back to the Captain's quarters to attempt to get some desperately needed sleep. How much actual rest he would get was debatable as his mind was preoccupied by what he might be sending the landing party into. McCoy was fervently hoping that he wasn't sending six good people to their deaths.


	8. Chapter 8

Captain's log - Stardate 2262.034. Acting Captain Leonard McCoy reporting.

It has been four hours since the six man team led by Acting Security Chief Lalayi Minyawi beamed down to the planet's surface. There has been no contact with them since their departure, but Chekov is keeping watch on their trackers and all six are still active and moving. The away team knows they have eight hours before we lock onto their trackers and beam them back aboard.

I wish we could break through the interference to speak with them, but we haven't found a way to break through yet.

* * *

Shutting off the recording, McCoy glanced back to the main screen. About two hours ago, he had reached the conclusion that one of the toughest things about the Captain's chair was sitting and waiting for news without getting twitchy. How a bundle of restless energy like Kirk managed it was one of those mysteries of the universe.

It being a foregone conclusion that McCoy was not going to budge from the Bridge for as long as the landing party was gone, Chapel had been making periodic appearances with small food and drink items To the amusement of the Bridge crew, she also appeared at the five hour mark with a supplement shot, which McCoy accepted without even a token fuss. Knowing how little sleep McCoy was working on, Chapel had added a mild stimulant to the supplement shot which McCoy noted with a grateful nod.

Briefly resting her hand on his shoulder, Chapel kept her voice low as she spoke to him.

"Once the Captain is back, you're going to be taking off at least one rotation, Leonard."

"After they're back and we make sure they're healthy? I'll rest. Maybe a compromise though? Half days for a rotation after one shift off?"

She gave his shoulder a light squeeze.

"Maybe. We'll see how much more weight you lose between now and then before I agree to negotiate for better terms."

A soft chuckle from McCoy drew the attention of the rest of the Bridge, but he didn't care.

"I taught you far to well, woman."

Chapel dimpled a smile and gave a bobbed curtsy, drawing titters from their amused audience and lowering the tension level considerably.

* * *

The tension ramped back up as the sixth hour arrived and, with it, another transmission from C'ves. The first thing that caught McCoy's attention was that C'ves was acting differently. The alien seemed puzzled, then he moved slightly.

From the intakes of air he heard, McCoy knew he wasn't the only one seeing them. Kirk, Spock and several other members of the crew were visible behind C'ves. McCoy also spotted Layali.

"The ones you sent down have been saying things that I am curious about. Tell me, Leonard McCoy - would you exchange yourself for one of my captives?"

It might not have been the smart answer, but it was the honest one.

"Yes."

"Which?"

"Any of them."

From the expression C'ves had, he wasn't sure he'd heard correctly. It rather reminded McCoy of the first time he'd used the expression 'when pigs fly' around Spock.

There was no further comment or question. C'ves simply shut down the transmission without warning.

The rest of the Bridge crew were looking at McCoy now. Ensign Ruebe spoke for them all.

"What do you think that was about, Captain?"

"That, Mister Ruebe, is a very good question that I don't currently have an answer for. On the plus side? We saw our people. We know they're alive."

* * *

Time seemed to drag as one shift ended and another began. Chapel finally coaxed McCoy into napping in the Ready Room, so that he could stay by the Bridge while still getting some rest. He ended up sleeping the rest of that shift and most of the next. waking up stiff, but with a much clearer head. A few minutes were taken to clean up and eat before he resumed his place in the chair.

It was almost as if C'ves had known and had been waiting. Within a few minutes of McCoy retaking the Captain's chair, another transmission came from the planet. C'ves wasted no time, starting to speak immediately.

"I will have one of your crew members waiting at the same coordinates that you sent your people to. In ten minutes of your time, you will take them back to your ship. I will give you two minutes to verify their health to your satisfaction and then you, Leonard McCoy, will come to the same location in their place."

McCoy knew the crew - both onboard and below - would likely not be happy, but he had already said he would do it. He wasn't about to back down.

"Understood. I'll be ready."

As half-expected, a babble of protest began the second the transmission ended, but McCoy stopped it by raising his hand.

"It's decided. Let's not waste time arguing over what's not going to change. Besides, I need this time to talk to the crew."

They were still not happy, but they complied and settled down. After taking a moment to compose himself, McCoy activated the ship's intercom.

"This is Acting Captain Leonard McCoy. In a few minutes, I will be participating in an exchange - I will be beaming down to the surface after one of our crew members is returned to us. If that person is able to take command, I will pass the chair over to them. If not, the rotation on the Bridge will continue as it has with Ensign Chekov taking my slot."

"But what I really wanted to say is this - I'm damn proud of each and every one of you. This situation has been something no number of simulation drills could have prepared you for, but you've given me your best, cooperated and kept the ship going without any major drama. You've shown me that I made the right decision when I joined Starfleet. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as your Captain during this crisis and I know you'll continue to carry on whatever happens next. McCoy out."

The silence on the Bridge was only broken by the equipment and McCoy could easily see the mix of emotions going through the crew. Standing, he called out his final orders.

"Ensign Phan, take the chair. I'm heading to the Transporter Room."

"Aye, Captain . . sir? Good luck."

McCoy turned to face the crew and did something he rarely did. He went to attention and saluted them. Everyone on the Bridge snapped to attention as well and returned it. McCoy swallowed down the emotions he was feeling, dropped the salute and left the Bridge.


	9. Chapter 9

When he entered the Transporter Room, McCoy was pleased to see that Chekov was there and planned to man the panel himself. At McCoy's nod, Chekov activated the equipment.

As the body began to form, McCoy held his breath, praying that it would be someone he could comfortably turn command over to - he trusted Chekov, but giving the young man ulcers was something the doctor would prefer to avoid. When the figure solidified into the familiar form of Montgomery Scott, McCoy let out the breath in a relieved sigh.

Scott was blinking and looking very confused, staring at the gold shirt the doctor was wearing as McCoy stepped forward and did a quick scan to verify that the Chief Engineer, and soon to be Acting Captain, was in good health. That confirmed, McCoy put one hand on Scott's shoulder while offering him the tricorder with the other, speaking quickly.

"Scotty, I wish I had enough time to explain, but we're under a time-limit. You can listen to my logs, but your best bet is to get with Christine as soon as possible. She's probably the best one to fill you in."

As the still puzzled Scott took the tricorder, he followed behind as McCoy moved to activate the ship's intercom.

"This is Acting Captain McCoy to the crew. As of this moment, I am officially turning over the Acting Captaincy to Mister Scott. I know you'll have his back the way you had mine. McCoy out."

McCoy had no idea if Scott was processing anything being said because the man was doing a fair imitation of a goldfish, mouth opening and closing without making a sound. Sighing, McCoy looked over to Chekov as he stepped onto the pad.

"Take care of him, Mister Chekov. Energize."

Watching as McCoy's image faded away as if mesmerized, Scott stood motionless until it was gone. Blinking, he looked down at the tricorder in his hands as if he couldn't remember how it had gotten there before turning to Chekov.

"What the hell just happened here, lad?"

Coming around from behind the panel, Chekov offered Scott a gold shirt to put on.

"It is . . . a very, very long story. You may wish to take control of the Bridge first, sir."

Numbly handing Chekov the tricorder as he accepted the shirt, Scott found himself staring at the shirt. Still feeling dazed, he finally spoke again.

"Acting Captain McCoy? Damn the man - leavin' me in charge of the ship when I could really use a stiff drink about - wait up. If the Doc was the Acting Captain, who all is missin'?

Chekov looked mainly down at the tricorder while he answered.

"Everyone over the rank of ensign who isn't a medical officer, Mister . . . Captain Scott. Plus everyone from Security."

Scott's mouth dropped open and his brogue got thicker once he found his voice again.

"Yer serious? Fer how long?"

Chekov finally looked up and met Scott's eyes.

"Today is the ninth day since you first disappeared."

"Nine?"

Shaking his head to clear it, Scott slipped on the Command Gold, restraining himself from cursing. Taking a deep breath, he knew what he needed to do. Get to the Bridge, review the logs and speak to Nurse Chapel. But first, he supposed he'd best do what McCoy did. Speak to the crew. Scott could feel Chekov's eyes following him as he moved to the intercom.

"This is Acting Captain Scott. Carry on with the assignments given to you by Doctor McCoy. I will be on the Bridge if there are any questions. Scott out."

Turning off the intercom, Scott looked back at Chekov.

"Engineering uniform. Did Doc have ye fillin' my shoes, laddie?"

Chekov flushed a bit, but nodded.

"Yes, sir."

From Scott's expression, Chekov felt sure the man was getting a headache. A moment later, Scott gave a heartfelt sigh.

"Well, I cannae be two places at once. Keep it up then. D'ya ken if there was a list of who he put in which position?"

"Yeoman Strekle would be the one most likely to have all of that information, Captain Scott."

"Thanks."

With that, Scott started for the Bridge, unconsciously fingering one of the golden sleeves of his uniform. He'd sat the chair before, true enough, but never when he was the only officer over the rank of lieutenant onboard. Then he stood straighter and headed into the turbolift. The Doc had shouldered the weight - he would as well.

* * *

On the planet, McCoy took a good look around once the transporter effect had faded. He could see some of the crew and now he could plainly see what it had been bothering him about seeing them behind C'ves. All of them were as motionless as waxworks. If Scott had been in the same condition, it was no wonder that he had looked so confused when he'd found himself in the Transporter Room.

It was, McCoy reflected, creepy seeing rows and rows of his crewmates with none of them so much as breathing. He pushed past the morbid thought of them looking entirely too much like standing corpses as he walked past them. He barely refrained from jumping when a voice rang out.

"Leonard McCoy - you may approach us."

His ill-humor growing worse by the moment, McCoy muttered under his breath.

"Gee, thanks. My life is now complete."

C'ves was seated on a raised platform, but what McCoy was relieved to see was Layali, moving and healthy looking. She was obviously equally pleased to see him as she dropped any decorum, running to him and wrapping her arms around him. It was very out of character for the young woman and it frankly pissed McCoy off to see the effect C'ves had on his nurse. All things considered, the first words out of his mouth might have be expected, if not the most diplomatic.

"What the hell is your problem with us?"

The belligerent question seemed to puzzle C'ves which was consistent with his other reactions to McCoy.

"We ourselves have no problem. We will be taking your vessel to end your problems."

Crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes, McCoy's response was far from the enthusiastic thanks that C'ves seemed to be expecting.

"And what exactly problems of ours would you be ending?"

"We will elevate your society to eliminate all traces of barbarism that remains. Your people will begin living lives of extreme enlightenment."

The arms remained crossed, but McCoy's facial features relaxed to a more neutral state.

"In that case, thanks, but no thanks."

C'ves scowled and McCoy had to admit that he had a pretty impressive scowl.

"Your response shows your ignorance of what we offer."

"On the contrary. I see exactly what you offer. You want to be the supreme being in the universe and don't care to have any upstart races developing that might go beyond you."

The scowl was replaced by the puzzled look again.

"Your words make no sense to us. Our wisdom and guidance will save your people generations of struggle."

McCoy considered before speaking again.

"A question for you. You speak of generations of struggle. Is that what your people went through?"

"It is. Now you understand?"

"I understand, but I don't believe you do."

The expression changed again. This time C'ves somewhat resembled Spock when he was contemplating a chess move.

"We will ponder this while you await our pleasure."

McCoy only had a moment to feel his body begin to stiffen before his consciousness faded to nothing.


	10. Chapter 10

McCoy had no reference for how much time had passed when awareness came back to him. Could have been five seconds, five hours or five years for all he could tell. He performed the incredible task of holding his temper when he found C'ves still studying him like he was an interesting exhibit.

"We have pondered long, but have found no answer to the puzzle you put before us."

Despite trying to behave himself, McCoy couldn't stop a scowl from forming.

"I didn't put a puzzle in front of you. I stated a fact."

C'ves leaned forward in his chair.

"Then explain to us this so-called fact."

"One moment."

McCoy turned around, looking for Spock. As expected, Spock had his PADD at his side. Moving over to the Vulcan, McCoy carefully removed the PADD.

"Sorry, Spock - I really need to borrow this."

He could almost hear Spock telling him to stop being so illogical as to speak to someone in a state of suspended animation, then sighed softly. He'd give a lot right now if it meant Spock actually could fuss at him again. As expected, Spock had the equivalent of a science library downloaded into the device.

Finding what he was after quickly, McCoy moved back to where C'ves still waited.

"Where I come from, we have a small animal we call a butterfly."

C'ves was shown an image of a monarch butterfly.

"It is a delicate looking creature, but I do not see what it has to do with the topic at hand."

"You will. You see, butterflies are remarkable for the stages that they go through. They start as an egg, then hatch into a caterpillar."

Showing C'ves the picture of the caterpillar, McCoy waited for the inevitable comment.

"That cannot be a young butterfly. It looks nothing like it. It does not even possess wings."

"Hang on. There's a time-elapsed recording here."

Playing the transformation of caterpillar to chrysalis form and then the struggle to break free at the end before it emerged as a butterfly. McCoy began speaking as soon as the recording reached that point.

"There's a story I was told by one of my teachers about someone watching the butterfly fighting to break out of the shell surrounding it. They decided they would make things easier for the butterfly and weakened the shell in a couple of spots so it could break out easier."

C'ves nodded his agreement.

"That seems far kinder than to continue to watch the animal struggle."

"Yeah, that's what he thought too. But he was wrong. It's during that struggle to break out that the butterfly strengthens its wings enough so that it will be able to fly. Taking that away meant that butterfly would never become what it could have been. Never be able to fly on its own."

The frown didn't have to be seen. It could be heard in his tone as C'ves spoke.

"You believe what we would do for your planet would cause similar harm to your kind?"

McCoy was more than a little frustrated as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Listen - you want to debate with me, I'm willing. First though? How about letting these folks return to our ship? As a sign that you do actually want to help rather than destroy us."

"Why should we?"

"Why shouldn't you? If you think I'm wrong after our discussion, then you should be certain that the Captain will see your scheme as reasonable."

"And if they decide to leave without you?"

There was no hesitation in McCoy's firm response.

"They won't."

The silence that followed was a long one, but finally C'ves nodded.

"Very well then. As a gesture of our good intentions to your people, we will return the others."

It wasn't easy, but McCoy managed to keep the expression of relief off of his face.

* * *

The amount of time that had passed since McCoy had beamed down was weighing heavily on Scott's mind. The tension showed when he nearly jumped out of the Captain's chair at the announcement of an incoming message.

"Put it up on the screen, Ensign Ruebe."

"Aye, Captain."

Scott bit back the desire to tell the ensign not to call him that and instead focused on the screen. A minute later and he got his first look at C'ves.

"You are Acting Captain Montgomery Scott?"

Sitting a little straighter in the chair, Scott nodded.

"Aye. That I am."

"Very good. As your crew has doubtless informed you, we are C'ves. We request that you disengage the shielding device on your vessel for a short period of time."

Scott's immediate reaction was to not only say no, but hell no. Even as he opened his mouth to reply, a familiar voice came across the speakers.

"Let me speak to him."

C'ves simply nodded and shifted the focus of the transmission to McCoy, who stepped forward.

"It's alright, Scotty. Do it."

After taking a moment to study how McCoy was holding himself, Scott sighed. He didn't care for it, but he trusted the doctor.

"Very well then. The shield will be lowered in five minutes."

C'ves ended the transmission without further response, leaving Scott sitting back with all of the ensigns looking straight at him. Finally, Ensign Malachi broke the silence with a nervous question.

"Are you actually going to lower the shield, sir?"

Scott answered the question with a question.

"You trust Doctor McCoy, lad?"

"Yes, sir."

"Well so do I."

That said, Scott turned on the intercom.

"Bridge to Engineer. Let me speak to Chekov."

"Chekov here, Captain Scott."

"I need you to deactivate that device you rigged up to block C'ves, but I need you standing by to fire it back up again at my order."

After a hesitation, Chekov's voice came back over the system.

"When does it need to go down, sir?"

"Two minutes. Let me know when it's done. Scott out."

The next two minutes seemed to be the longest Scott had ever known, but he didn't need Chekov's call to tell him when the shield went down. With a suddenness that made everyone on the Bridge jump, the missing crewmembers started appearing around them.

Only one thing kept Scott from jumping out of the chair himself was the sudden weight holding him down. It took a moment for it to sink in that Kirk had reappeared looking confused at finding himself sitting on Scott's lap instead of on his chair.

For his part, Scott stammered a bit and blushed before he was finally able to speak.

"This is a wee bit awkward."

From the haste with which he removed himself from Scott's lap, Kirk obviously agreed.


	11. Chapter 11

Captain's log - Stardate 2262.048

I called a meeting with my senior officers along with the ensigns who fulfilled the duties of those officers while we were all missing. Mentally, I'm still adjusting to the fact that we were missing for days when it seemed like only seconds. While a full accounting of the crew was underway, I pulled the CMO logs and reviewed them. I have to say that I'm pretty impressed with how Doctor McCoy dealt with the aftermath of what this C'ves character did, but the one point where I do disagree with his call is where he decided to meet with C'ves himself.

Yes, he did manage to get the rest of us released somehow, but he's still missing. Why didn't C'ves return him and how long does he intend to keep him?

* * *

On the planet surface, McCoy was getting frustrated. So far, no matter what approach he tried, C'ves couldn't understand why the butterfly metaphor would apply, but in the end, his frustration is what led him to a new approach after C'ves repeated his same argument for what seemed like the thousandth time.

"I see no reason why your people would not be grateful for our assistance."

Even having known McCoy for only a short time, C'ves noted the change when the frustrated look left the doctor's face and was replaced by a smile.

"Alright then, how about you tell me what your people did to thank whatever advanced race it was that pulled you out of your primitive ways?"

Seeing the indignant look forming, McCoy's smile grew. He was about to be handed the proof he needed by C'ves himself.

"We had no assistance. My people gained our advancement through a great deal of work and, yes, some blood spilled."

"But I bet that made your people appreciate their achievements all the more. I bet their all really proud of that."

"Yes, of course we . . ."

C'ves stopped speaking and looked at McCoy again, the expression on his face changing as a new awareness came to him.

"That. That is what you were speaking of. Were we to force this change on your people, you would not only lose the pride in what you have already accomplished, but you would also lose the sense of accomplishment when the day arrives that your people meet their goals."

Breathing a little easier, McCoy nodded.

"Now, that isn't to say that we wouldn't appreciate some helpful advise, but there's an awfully big difference between advising someone and pushing them out of the way to do it yourself."

"And you think your leaders might accept our advice?"

"They might not take all of it, but I'm sure they'd at least listen if it was offered as a gesture of willingness to help and not as a demand to follow it like a blueprint. After all, there's nothing wrong with us doing things different from the way your people did them. Different isn't necessarily better or worse - just different."

After a considerable pause, C'ves finally nodded.

"We concede your point. You have given us much to ponder and we will share what you have shared with us to our people. It is now our opinion that we should leave your planet to develop as it will without our interference. Contact will be made, but not forced."

There was another pause, then C'ves rose from his chair.

"We have delayed the mission of your ship. We will make amends for that. Prepare to rejoin your people."

Moving to where C'ves indicated, McCoy could no longer hear what was being said, but a smile formed as he felt the start of the sensation that always preceded a transport. C'ves really was letting him go home.

* * *

The relief was short-lived. McCoy had no more than finished forming on the transporter platform when the room went dark and alarms began sounding. Hit by sudden dizziness and disorientation, the doctor dropped down to his knees, closing his eyes and staying still as he waited for the symptoms to pass.

The alarms made it hard to hear, but he could make out Scott's voice calling for Sickbay. That puzzled him as he tried to remember what had happened. He'd agreed to beam down to the planet in exchange for Scott, so why was he still on the platform instead of on the planet?

He still hadn't arrived at an answer that made sense when he heard the doors open and felt himself being pulled up and onto a gurney.

"Wait - I can't leave. I promised to beam down."

Scott laid a hand on McCoy's shoulder.

"Easy, Len. Ye've been down there for quite awhile and only just returned. Must be something that C'ves character did - I couldn't remember being down there m'self. So settle down now and let yer people do their jobs. The Captain's been worried sick about you."

Still feeling ill enough that he didn't care to argue further, McCoy took a deep breath and forced himself to relax as he was rushed back to Sickbay. After the door closed behind them, Scott contacted the Bridge.

"Scott to Bridge. Doctor McCoy's back aboard, but he got a wee bit shaken when we lost power. He's been taken to Sickbay."

The relief could be heard in Kirk's voice.

"Good work. I need you to check over Engineering and see if you can determine what happened. If our viewscreens are to be believed, the planet we were orbiting is missing now."

The thought of that stunned Scott to silence for a minute, then he shook himself and responded.

"Aye, Captain. I'll start running full diagnostics immediately."

The sense of wrong that Kirk had was soon seconded by Chekov.

"Captain? It is not just the planet, sir. The stars are all wrong."

Kirk didn't turn to look, but he heard Spock moving to the science station. He did turn when his First Officer spoke.

"Captain, Mister Chekov is correct. It is not the planet that has gone missing. We have somehow shifted locations."

There was silence across the Bridge as Spock's words sank in, then Kirk rose.

"Mister Scott is already checking our systems, so the next order of business is to find out where we are now. Mister Spock, you have the conn. I'm headed to Sickbay to check on Doctor McCoy."

It didn't escape Kirk's notice that every Ensign on the Bridge turned when he said that and all wore various expressions of concern. Whatever all had happened while the rest of them had been gone, it had definitely forged a stronger bond between the younger crewmen and his CMO.

"I'll ask the staff when Doctor McCoy will be up for visitors and put out the word."

As Kirk exited the Bridge, Spock contacted the stellar cartography section and began coordinating with them to determine exactly where the Enterprise was currently located. He briefly pondered why C'ves would have transported them and how he might have accomplished it. He dismissed those questions for now to concentrate on their current needs. Perhaps the doctor would be able to fill in some of the gaps later.


	12. Chapter 12

Kirk entered Sickbay and was immediately spotted by Head Nurse Chapel. She moved to meet him then looked toward the CMO office.

"He's in there, Captain, and I don't think he's left the shower since he went in there. I doubt it's locked - we all know better than to go in without an invitation."

He nodded his acknowledgement, but made no move to head over to the office yet.

"I've heard the crew talking about how well he held them together, but how bad was this for him?"

"If we're talking in terms of stress? A bit beyond the operation to remove that slug."

Chapel didn't have to add any details, Kirk knew exactly what surgery that was and how wiped out McCoy had been afterward when the various emergencies had calmed down enough for the adrenaline to fade.

"I'll take care of him."

Smiling, the ever efficient nurse went back to work.

"I'll hold you to that, Sir."

Entering the CMO's office area, he could hear the shower running. The shower in the office was purely utilitarian, barely big enough to stand in and get the worst of whatever blood or other fluids off without having to leave the confines of Sickbay. Seeing the Command Gold shirt tossed to the side, Kirk reached out and picked it up.

It was strange to see the medical insignia on the gold shirt. Harder still for him to imagine McCoy wearing gold instead of the familiar blue. Folding the shirt carefully, Kirk put it down on the top of one of the shelving units in the room, briefly looking over the titles of some of the ancient medical books that rested on those shelves. Then he moved to the small shower and called out.

"Come on out before you fall asleep in there, Bones."

"Jim?"

A towel was groped for and grabbed, then the door opened even as the towel was still being tucked around McCoy's hips. As Kirk expected, even though McCoy was smiling, the signs of exhaustion were plain to see on the doctor to any one who knew him. As promised, Kirk took charge.

"A bowl of soup, then a long nap. Your staff has been taking care of things without you for several days - they can manage for a few more, I'm sure."

McCoy didn't fight against being herded to the table before Jim used the replicator to order up a hot bowl of his favorite soup, but he did give his friend and Captain a bemused look.

"Is that doctor's orders?"

Sliding the bowl in front of Bones, Kirk smiled back.

"Nope. Captain's orders. Besides, I promised a certain Head Nurse that I'd take care of you and I'm not going to get her mad at me. She's almost as hypospray-happy as you are."

"I'll be sure to tell her you said that."

Ignoring the whining from his Captain, McCoy ate the soup, finishing just over half of it before drowsiness hit him hard.

"I saw that yawn. Beddie-bye time, Bones."

Grumbling something under his breath that sounded like a comment on Kirk's mental age, McCoy made use of the table to push himself to his feet before staggering over to his bunk. He barely registered Kirk saying something about a towel, but he was asleep before any response came to mind.

Shaking his head in amusement, Kirk gave his friend a fond look. McCoy had barely made it to the bunk before passing out, so there was no way he was going to attempt to wake the doctor, get him dressed, and get him to his actual quarters. Sleeping on his duty bunk would simply have to do for now.

Kirk removed the towel, then covered McCoy with the blue and crimson comforter that had appeared in their dorm room after their first year of studies. McCoy had never told Kirk who sent it to him, but where McCoy went, it went.

Ordering the lights down, Kirk quietly exited the room, then filled Chapel in on the fact that her CMO had eaten most of a bowl of soup and was now sleeping the sleep of the dead. She didn't seem terribly surprised that McCoy was going to sleep there and thanked the Captain for getting him to eat something light.

Exiting Sickbay, Kirk checked in with Spock. The stellar cartography group was still working to determine their location, so he agreed to Spock's urging and went to his own quarters for some sleep. He hadn't taken more than an hour's catnap since their return and he knew it was starting to tell on him.

* * *

Captain's log - Stardate 2262.056

We finally have our answer. Somehow - and even First Officer Spock has no theories on how - C'ves moved our ship nearly 590 light years away from where we had been.

Now that we know where we are in relation to home and since our mission is to chart previously uncharted space, I have decided that it would be the best use of our time to start with where we currently are and chart the systems we pass by on our way back to known space. I have consulted with both First Officer Spock and Chief Medical Officer McCoy. The doctor's concern is regarding morale once the crew finds out how far we were moved, but he believes he can put a positive spin on it. I trust he can, but I think that I might schedule another field day to give the crew something different to think about.

* * *

Sitting down in the Mess Hall to grab a bite before sleep, McCoy was amused by the buzz of excitement that Kirk had started when he announced another field day. Slowly chewing a piece of bread, McCoy made a note to talk to Kirk about finding a planet suitable for Shore Leave. It could be a year or more before they reached a Starbase and some time away from the ship would be good for the overall mental health of the crew.

Nearly 600 light years. McCoy couldn't comprehend the distance let alone the power it had to have taken to move the entire ship so far practically instantaneously. Speaking of which, Kirk had been dropping hints of gradually decreasing subtlety that he and Spock wanted to hear what details of what McCoy could remember of his time with C'ves. well, maybe it was time to bite the bullet and get it over with.

Taking a few minutes to finish what remained on his tray, McCoy cleaned up his space and headed back to his quarters before contacting Kirk.

"Kirk here."

"Jim? It's Bones. If you still want to talk about C'ves. let's do it tomorrow."

"Fine. You, Spock and myself in my quarters after our shift ends tomorrow. You bring the tea for you and Spock, I'll have a meal waiting for us. Get some sleep."

"Will do. Night, Jim."

Maybe, just maybe, he could manage a stretch of nightmare-free sleep. After some further consideration, McCoy stopped by Sickbay and picked up one of their therapy tribbles. As he settled down and listened to the small creature's contented purr, he started to berate himself for not thinking of this arrangement sooner, but fell asleep before he finished.


	13. Chapter 13

Kirk and Spock were already waiting in the Captain's quarters when McCoy arrived, tea and accessories on the he was carrying. Thankfully, the meal itself was limited to light conversation. It was after the table was cleared that they settled down to really talk - Jim with his coffee, Spock and McCoy with their tea.

Settling back with a soft sigh, McCoy started to talk.

"I'm warning you up front that what I remember is still pretty fragmented and it comes to me more when I'm asleep than when I'm awake."

The discomfort McCoy was feeling was obvious so neither Kirk nor Spock rushed him.

"As you know by now, you all had been gone for nine days when C'ves swapped me for Scotty. You and the rest were standing like a bunch of figures in an old wax museum. That partly creeped me out, but mostly made me mad. Then he called out like he was the lord of the manor and said I could approach him. Layali had been in charge of the away team I sent down - she was still moving and ran over as soon as she saw me. That's not a normal thing for her, so it made me madder and I asked him what the hell his problem was."

The wince wasn't as noticeable on Spock's features as it was on Kirk's, but then both men knew that McCoy had never had any problem telling someone exactly what he thought of them, regardless of rank or position. If McCoy noted their expressions, he ignored them and kept his focus mainly on the surface of his tea.

"That was when he started telling me all about his plans. This is where things start getting sketchy in my head, but basically it came down to him taking over control of the Enterprise, heading to Earth and eliminating anything that he considered to be not enlightened enough. The intention was to help our people go through several generations of social evolution overnight. I told him thanks, but no thanks. That threw him."

Spock steepled his fingers as an understanding look formed on his face and finally ventured a question after the silence had lasted a few minutes.

"May we take it that you were able to eventually convince him that such a tactic of forced compliance would not have meshed well with the Terran temperament?"

"Not without a long fight, I didn't, Spock. I don't have a sense for how long I was down there because if I said something that puzzled him, he'd freeze me for who knows how long until he was ready to talk again. At least I was eventually able to tweak his curiosity enough that he agreed to send you guys back to the ship before we talked more. Oh - and I borrowed your PADD somewhere along the line, Spock. I should have brought it with me, but I've got it in my office."

"I had wondered what had became of it. I will retrieve it from you tomorrow."

McCoy nodding, falling silent again and this time, it was Kirk that urged him on.

"So - how did you end up convincing him?"

The slight flush told the men before McCoy spoke that his temper had gotten the better of him.

"Like I said, it's kind of sketchy, but I'm pretty sure I cussed a good bit and compared him unfavorably to the Talosians and the Vians. When that didn't work, I think I flat out asked him how his people would have reacted back when they were at our stage of development if a group of high-powered assholes had come to them and forced change on them without them asking for it."

Kirk shook his head, but gave his friend a fond look. Nobody could accuse Leonard McCoy of beating around a bush when he could plow right through it. He started to ask another question, but McCoy cleared his throat.

"And - I guess I owe the whole crew an apology."

That changed Kirk's expression to a puzzled frown.

"Apology? What for?"

"The one thing I do remember C'ves saying. Right before he sent me back, he said he'd delayed our mission long enough and that he'd make amends. I'm guessing that's why we're where we are instead of where we were."

Spock picked up the teapot and refilled McCoy's cup.

"Doctor, even if you had known of the intention behind C'ves' comment, you could not have prevented his actions. I see nothing that you should feel the need to apologize for. Indeed, your actions prevented the Enterprise from being taken over by an alien with designs on invading and exerting control over your home planet."

McCoy then felt Kirk's hand squeeze his shoulder.

"Are you going to win diplomat of the year? No, but you would laugh yourself sick if someone offered you that anyway. From what I've heard from the crew, being blunt was probably the only way you were going to get your point across. You did that. Sure, we're a long way away from home, but we were sent out on a mission of discovery. We're blazing new trails - maybe not the way Starfleet originally intended, but the information will be just as valuable. You did good, Bones. By any standard that I can think of to judge you by."

The relief McCoy felt at their words was so obvious that both Captain and First Officer felt slightly guilty for not having pressed the matter sooner. The rest of the evening was spent in light talk and fellowship and, later that night, McCoy slept without a single nightmare interrupting his rest for the first time since the whole thing started.

* * *

A couple of days later at the end of his shift, Kirk headed to the CMO's office to catch McCoy. He figured that the man would still be finishing up his paperwork after the earlier accident he'd heard about in Engineering.

Heading into the office without preamble, he found it unlocked and unoccupied. Glancing around, a glint of gold caught his eye and he spotted the Command Gold shirt that he had folded and stored on top of McCoy's bookshelf. Smiling slightly, he reached up and pulled the shirt back down before heading back out to the main Sickbay area.

Nurse Layali Minyawi saw him and what he had in his hands, but didn't comment on the shirt. Instead, she addressed her CMO's whereabouts.

"Good evening, Captain. Head Nurse Chapel shooed Doctor McCoy out of here about ten minutes ago. She told him that after two surgeries in as many hours, he needed to get some rest before dealing with the paperwork."

Nodding in agreement even as he mentally winced at two of his crewmembers being hurt badly enough to require surgery, he thanked her and walked the short distance to McCoy's quarters. There wasn't an immediate response to his request to come in, so he used his override and let himself in just in time to catch McCoy exiting his shower,

"Impatient much, Jim? Or you so desperate for something to do that you're gonna make me turn in my reports tonight?"

Kirk shook his head in surrender.

"Not me. You were ordered away by Chapel and I believe I already told you that I'm trying to stay on her good side."

Slipping on a pair of pants, McCoy made his way over to what Kirk liked to call his medicine cabinet. Opening the door, the doctor pulled out a half-empty bottle.

"Care for a bit of the good stuff?"

"No need to twist my arm."

In no time, the two friends were settled and sipping. Neither of them drank much at a time anymore, only enough to speed relaxation along a little. After a few comments about how their respective days had gone, Jim pulled out the Command Gold shirt, unfolding it and holding it up as McCoy snorted at the sight of it.

"I wondered where that had got off to. Figured Christine had dumped it into the recycler."

Kirk's demeanor took a serious note and he sat back down, still holding the shirt.

"Bones, we haven't really talked about what happened. I know I made a comment about how you spoke with C'ves, but after thinking it over, I can't say I wouldn't have said the same things to him. Or worse. I know it was a nightmare scenario for you, but you stepped up, kept the crew together, rescued myself and the other officers and hell, for all I know, you even saved Earth from an invasion by C'ves and his people. I always knew you had it in you - thanks for proving me right."

Seeing McCoy was ill at ease with what he'd said, Kirk shook the shirt, shifting his voice to a teasing tone.

"Sure you don't want to keep this, Bones? You could always make a midlife career change - give up the blue for gold."

There was a pause as McCoy finished off what bourbon remained in his glass, then he firmly shook his head.

"No thanks, Jim. I'll stick with my blues. That gold? It weighs too damn much."


End file.
